What Marijuana Legalization in Canada Could Mean for the United States

What Marijuana Legalization in Canada Could Mean for the United States2017-04-212017-04-18http://www.cvdvt.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Champlain-Valley-Dispensary-Logo.pngChamplain Valley Dispensary / Southern Vermont Wellnesshttp://www.cvdvt.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/peace-2122924_960_720.jpg200px200px

America’s neighbor to the north is fast moving toward legalizing recreational marijuana nationwide, which would make Canada the second country in the world to do so. And the impact of having weed legalized on such a big scale, so close to home, may affect the future of pot in the United States.

“There are those who sometimes regard Canada as the 51st state. It would be an important signal about the movement coming of age. It would add to the critical mass,” says Oregon Rep. Earl Blumenauer, a member of Congress’ newly-formed Cannabis Caucus who is pushing to change the way the federal government treats the substance. And, he says: “It would shift the center of gravity.”

When Colorado voters legalized marijuana in 2012, it became the first jurisdiction in the world to regulate and tax pot like alcohol. By the time Election Day was over in 2016, eight states had legalized pot for adult use, covering a population more than double the size of Canada’s. (Nearly 30 states have comprehensive medical marijuana laws.) Uruguay became the first nation to legalize marijuana several years ago but has been sluggish in setting up a market. That means that while American states have been blazing the trail, Canada will likely be taking the baton.

Some see that as a “missed opportunity,” as Sam Kamin, a marijuana law expert at the University of Denver, puts it. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s liberal government plans to announce legislation around April 10. And Kamin believes that the model set to be announced — wherein the national government sets big-picture standards but important factors like how to distribute and sell the product are left to the provinces — “would have and could work here in the U.S. But we see them passing us in that regard.”